Like the Rising and Setting of the Sun
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: Wish Killian and Alice did not always have each other's warmth and support but the curse and their separation couldn't extinguish their fierce love for one another. My entries for Knight Rook: a History - Warmth over on tumblr. Knight Rook and Curious Archer with some Zelena.
1. Day 1 - Tower Tales

**A/N: ****Alice is attempting to make her day a little brighter while waiting for her papa to return from his trip to the outside world. Killian's return seems to do the trick.**

A Father's Gift

Alice was sitting cross-legged on the floor, waiting for her papa to come back. She would've loved nothing more than going with him, leaving the tower and never coming back. But that wasn't an option so she'd settled for sitting in the sunlight and enjoying its warmth on her face. It was the only thing from the outside world that the barrier surrounding the tower allowed her to feel and she made the most of it.

She'd closed her eyes, pretending that she was on the Jolly Roger. Her papa had told her so much about the ship that she could envision it perfectly. She could even see his crew in their respective places, everyone working together to keep the ship sailing and cleaving the waves. Her papa was standing next to his first mate–Mr Smee–and the two were laughing like the close friends they were while they watched her steer the wheel, directing the ship through the water. The sound of the waves hit her ears as the breeze waved her hair and carried her fantasy away.

She opened her eyes only to have the sunlight blind her as her hair stuck to her skin since there was no breeze. There wasn't even a slight draft since the barrier that kept her prisoner didn't allow her to feel the change in weather. Wind and rain were completely unfamiliar to her save for the sight of them she'd caught from the window of her little tower. She'd played with snow, at least, since her papa always made sure to bring her some when he came back from a trip during the winter.

The scraping of metal against stone startled her out of her thoughts just in time for her to see her papa's head show at the window.

"Papa!" she cried out excitedly and jumped to her feet, rushing to hug him the moment he stepped inside. She threw herself at him, causing him to stumble backwards and lean on the windowsill for support.

"Hey, starfish," he greeted her, out of breath from the climb up the tower. "You're quite excited today, huh? Just wait wait till you see what I've brought you." He smiled at her and she held on to him tighter.

"I love you, papa," she said, happy that he was back. His love was the best thing he could give her and he'd been doing just that ever since she'd been born. It was enough for her. The warmth of his embrace was the only thing she needed to be happy.


	2. Day 2 - Separation Anxiety

**A/N: ****Alice is missing the warmth of her father's love after Gothel poisons his heart.**

Cold Nightmare

It was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. The same one she'd had a while back. She was just having the same nightmare of the witch taking her papa away again. Only, it never ended this time. Her eyes were open but she was still in the nightmare. There was no way to escape it.

She couldn't stop crying, her chest heaving erratically and her tears pouring down, cold against her burning skin. She had a temperature, she knew it. But she couldn't do anything about it and her papa wasn't there to take care of it either. He wasn't there to take care of her. And despite the hotness that had overtaken her entire body, she still trembled in fear.

She didn't know how to live without the warmth of her papa's embrace and the love in his eyes. She'd never had to and she didn't want to learn now. All she wanted was to feel her papa's arms wrap around her and hear his voice as he sang her an old shanty to help her fall asleep – those always worked best because they had the rhythm of the sea woven in them and it lulled her to sleep as quickly as a storm could break out.

The only comfort the tower had to offer, though, was the company of her stuffed toys. She spent a good week doing nothing more than simply hugging them at all times, looking to recreate the soothing warmth of her papa's presence. But no matter how tightly she held them, it just wasn't the same. There was no warmth in their little bodies and their cold lifelessness only seemed to remind her of her dreadful loneliness. The only person she'd known and loved was gone and all she had left was a handful of stuffed friends that couldn't even answer her when she offered them more tea. They were just toys that couldn't love her back and that left a strange emptiness inside her that only grew colder as the days passed.

She hoped her papa was doing better than she was, at least. She didn't even know where he was, what he was doing. Did he have shelter or was he out in the cold, uninviting world? She was trapped but at least she had a roof over her head. She'd trade it in a heartbeat, though, for the chance of freedom, for the chance to go find her papa on the Jolly Roger where she imagined he was, surrounded by his friends, and join him in scouring the seas. But that last spark of hope only made the nightmare darker, leaving her wondering if she'd ever feel the warmth of love again.


	3. Day 3 - New Quests, New Friends

**A/N: ****Alice enjoys the warmth that Robin brought into her life. Curious Archer fluff.**

Cuddles Keep You Warm

Alice doubled over in laughter which almost caused her to fall off the bed but Robin's hand was on her arm in a second. She pulled her back up and steadied her even though she, too, had burst into laughter but had managed to keep her balance somehow.

Robin had come for their weekly tea party after which they'd relocated to the bed so that they'd be more comfortable while sharing stories of their crazy adventures. That might have not been the best idea, however, since Alice had nothing to grab on to and would've ended up on the floor had Robin not caught her. Luckily for her, she now had someone who had her back at all times.

Alice grinned at the thought. The cabin felt so much more like a home with the warmth of a cup of tea in Robin's company. After all those lonely years she finally had the comfort of another's presence, she could feel the warmth of another's touch. It was so relaxing that she could melt into Robin's arms.

Alice was snapped out of her thoughts when Robin's head dropped on her shoulder. She looked down at her love, who snuggled into her side, and wrapped an arm around her, not questioning the sudden affection. She couldn't get enough of it, in fact. It made it easier for her to bear the absence of her papa.

Robin closed her eyes and sighed in content. "You're warm," she said.

"Are you cold?" Alice asked, alarm already flooding her voice and keeping her from registering the small smile on Robin's face. "I could get you a blanket." She was already getting up, forcing Robin's head off her shoulder, but Robin's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back down on the mattress.

"I'm not," she reassured as she placed her head back on Alice's shoulder now that she was seated again. "This is just really nice," she said, snuggling closer to Alice.

"Oh." Alice couldn't stop the smile that was already making its way on her face if she wanted to. "Well then, I have something you'd really like." She offered her hand to Robin, who took it without missing a beat, and brought their hands to her chest, placing them over her heart.

Robin craned her neck so that she could look at her, anticipating her next move.

"Here it's warmest because that's where my love for you lives." Alice held her breath, waiting for Robin's reaction. It wasn't so much nervousness as it was curiosity. Robin always had the sweetest responses to her declarations of love and made sure to shower her in affection every time to show her that she returned those feelings.

Robin made an adorable facial expression. "That is so sweet. Cheesy," she said, "but sweet."

Before Alice could ask what any of that had to do with cheese, Robin pulled her into a kiss that caused the love in her heart to take over her entire body, spreading warmth along the way.


	4. Day 4 - Hyperion Heights

**A/N:** **Tilly thinks of all the warmth Rogers brought into her life and what she can do for him in return.**

Wrap Me Up in Warmth

Tilly tossed and turned, trying to escape the unbearable heat that was suffocating her, but to no avail. She kicked and opened her mouth to scream but her throat was too dry and nothing came out of it. Instead, panic rose in her and she twisted her body in an attempt to get away and her back collided with something hard.

Tilly opened her eyes to find herself on the floor in the living room. She was entangled in a blanket that she did not remember covering herself with. Rogers must have thrown it over her when he'd come home. He'd probably found her asleep on the couch and had been worried she might catch a cold if he left her like that. The thing was that she'd gotten so hot she had tried to kick the blanket off and had fallen off the couch in the process. Still, she couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture.

Everything was so different ever since she'd moved in with Rogers. But it was a good different. Her nights in the boxcar had never been warm no matter how many blankets she would cover herself with, and she hadn't had many of those either. She now wore new clothes and regularly had home cooked meals so she was never cold or hungry. And the people of Hyperion Heights had warmed up to her as she sold them beignets and she was no longer invisible. It was good to be noticed. Especially by someone like Margot.

But most importantly, she had the warmth of family now. Rogers had opened his home and his heart for her, looking after her as if she was his daughter, so she couldn't be mad at him if he got a little overprotective sometimes. She'd forgotten what it was like to have someone take care of her, to have someone she could turn to for help instead of facing everything on her own, and Rogers had taken it upon himself to remind her. She wanted to return the favor. She knew the cold of the loneliness and could see its traces all over his life. It was why she'd put little touches like drawings and simple origami around the apartment to make it feel like home. It was why she left him little notes with jokes, hoping to make his day brighter. It was why the next morning Rogers walked into the kitchen to find warm breakfast and hot coffee waiting for him on the counter.


	5. Day 5 - Happily Ever After

**A/N:** **Zelena is hosting a tea party for her future daughter-in-law and their little family. Mainly Alice and Zelena with a side of Curious Archer.**

Tea Party

Zelena threw a fireball in the fireplace, setting the logs inside it aflame. She claimed it was much faster than starting the fire manually but Robin had told Alice that her mom just liked using magic and setting things on fire so it was a win on all accounts. Alice couldn't help but smile at the eccentricity of her future mother-in-law. And she was so unashamed of it that Alice had only admiration for her.

Zelena made her way to the table where she picked up the kettle and poured them all steaming green tea. She then sat down and picked up her cup for a toast. She clinked it with Alice's own cup and gave her a warm, conspiratorial smile before taking a sip from her tea while completely ignoring Robin and Killian.

"Nice one, mom," Robin sassed although she couldn't quite keep the amusement out of her tone.

"This tea party is in honor of Alice," Zelena said as she left her cup on the saucer.

"Just saying that it would've been cool if you'd acknowledged me and my future father-in-law is all." Robin brought her cup to her lips but she soon frowned and quickly set it back down. "Ah! How are you even drinking this? It's boiling hot."

Alice giggled at her fiance's antics, almost spilling her own tea, before waving her hand over Robin's cup. The steam that was coming out of it disappeared when her magic cooled it down enough for it to be drinkable.

Robin beamed at her. "Thanks, Alice," she said as she grabbed her cup again, and this time she smiled in content after taking a large sip of her tea.

"I flew all the way here in order to discuss your wedding," Zelena continued the conversation, ignoring their tomfoolery. "And I suggest we get down to business. There's a lot to prepare for a big, proper fairytale wedding."

"Mom, please, tell me you're not going to invite the entire United Realm," Robin whined. "We want a simple ceremony with friends only."

"I'm officially having another daughter and you think I'll go 'simple' with the celebration?" Zelena said with finality that Robin probably wouldn't have been able to argue against even if she'd been given the chance to do so. "Unicorns, dragons, flying brooms, flying carpets – whatever you want, you can have it," Zelena continued, causing both Robin and Alice to stop trying to protest and consider her suggestion instead.

"Maybe we should let them decide what they want to do," Killian spoke as he finally got the opportunity to take the word.

"I'm letting them chose," Zelena's tone was sharp but Alice still appreciated the fact that she was refraining from calling her papa 'Nook'. "I will get them a beanstalk if they want. They just have to tell me what they'd like to have."

"I think I'd like to arrive in Emma's bug," Alice blurted out excitedly. "It's what Robin and I used to survive our first adventure together," she explained at the look of utter horror on Zelena's face. Besides, the bug was so her and Emma would totally lend it to her if she asked. It was the perfect ride to take her to her wedding ceremony.

Robin smiled at her lovingly at the mention of their shenanigans before speaking herself. "I'd like to fly there with the help of some fairy dust. I'll have so many happy thoughts," she caught Alice's hand, "that I will be able to get to outer space with it."

"Great!" Zelena exclaimed in a scathing pretense. "Perhaps you could even get a carriage for at least some style," she said, not looking too terribly pleased with Robin's choice either.

"You said whatever we want," Robin reminded her, looking at her sternly.

Zelena sighed. "All right. We covered your arrival but we still have so many details to discuss."

"Perhaps you'd save yourself a lot of headaches if you'd just let them have a simple ceremony, love," Killian spoke but his attempt to help only poked the beast in Zelena.

Alice watched them as they argued, feeling only warmth. Her family had grown and she couldn't be happier. That was the best tea party she could ever remember even despite the heated arguments, and she couldn't dream for more.


End file.
